Category: Large Family 
Price Range: £16,095 to £27,195
Comfortable, roomy, well-equipped with strong, smooth engines, especially the diesel; good value for money; five star NCAP crash test score
Nondescript side view, not as roomy in the back as it looks, can fidget over sharp-edged bumps, huge depreciation
Big, imposing, interesting Citroen, more striking since 2005 restyle
The C5 has scored poorly in reliability and customer satisfaction surveys, with problems including clutch failure in diesel models, auto gearbox problems, rear suspension faults, ABS failure, alloy wheel corrosion and a variety of electrical, electronic and ECU glitches. Owners have also reported general quality defects and issues including excess fuel consumption. However, the hydropneumatic suspension is less problematic than non-initiates expect, and a series of recalls and modifications should mean that the revised-for-2005 C5 has now been de-bugged. Cabin quality has also been upped, with sound-proofing improved, though there were still some minor defects in the cars we tested, including a creaking seat and vibrating facia plastics.
